CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Americans are becoming more curious about electric vehicles. In fact, according to Cars.com, traffic search for electrified cars went up 115% in the last two weeks.
But there is still a worry about range anxiety; some electric vehicles don't have as much range as gas-powered or conventional hybrid cars, and drivers who visit rural areas often may wonder how available public charging stations are away from major roads.
The Question:
Are electric vehicle charging stations in rural North Carolina counties?
Before we answer that question, it's important to distinguish what is a rural county and what isn't.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a rural county is classified based on these factors:
- Density
- Land use
- Airports
The NC Rural Center lists 78 counties in North Carolina as rural, based on these factors.
So, back to the question regarding electric vehicle charging stations in rural North Carolina counties.
Our Sources:
- The U.S. Department of Energy
- ChargeHub
- Julie McMurry with the City of Shelby
What we found:
According to a DOE database of registered electric chargers in North Carolina, there are indeed charging stations in rural counties.
In the Charlotte metro area, these include the following counties:
- Stanly
- Richmond
- Cleveland
- Caldwell
Julie McMurry said the city of Shelby decided to put up two charging stations in town after a study conducted said more electric car owners would be a part of their community.
Shelby city leaders received $20,000 from the North Carolina-Volkswagen settlement grant to install the EV chargers. They are free to any plug-in.
As to what McMurry says to the claim that rural communities don't have chargers, she said leaders are investing.
"I do think that smaller communities maybe are a little bit slower at in installing the electric vehicle chargers than larger communities," she said.
She said the city government can even track the use of the chargers, and data has shown since their installation in September and November 2021, there has been a steady increase in use.
"It's convenient for people to park and charge, and then be able to go and do some things while they're in town," said McMurry.
So we can verify, that yes, rural North Carolina counties have electric vehicle charging stations.
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